The weather was gorgeous the day we visited, so besides having the guide to ourselves and thoroughly inspecting the mill, we also walked around the field, liberally dotted with red poppies, that the Doocot was in and along the river. A simple, functional mill that is routinely flooded every year. But without the water, it wouldn't work, so there it is. It is so amazing to consider that the machinery is completely dependent on water to operate, and the many ways that the hydro energy is put to use to lift and move the grain, grind it, sieve it....such ingenuity - and no electricity or carbon emissions! A beautiful spot and very interesting.
Even though mill was closed in morning. Nice walk over to river past the doocot. Interesting stop on John Muir way
The mill dates back to the 16th century and one of the last working mills in East Lothian. The miller would grind mainly oats plus barley & wheat. The farmers were tied to bringing their grain to a particular miller which was dictated by the landowner.My wife & I were lucky to have the guide to ourselves so we got a great tour and extremely detailed explanation of every think.Wonderful mill with a very interesting history to milling in the region.
We really wanted to visit here but came twice and each time it was closed. If you want to visit you need to research the times that they are open carefully as it does not appear to be often. We did have a walk around the meadow which was pretty but were disappointed that we did not get to see any more.
We arrived just in time to join a small guided tour group. We saw how oatmeal was made into oat flour and all the stages were demonstrated. The staff / volunteers were all friendly and knowledgeable. The machinery and buildings are now all in good order and a visit here is an interesting experience.
Spent the afternoon here. Was shown round by one of the guides who seemed to know everything you could possibly to know about the mill. Great to walk around, work out the layout of all the cogs etc and what they did. After our tour we sat in the small garden and had a nice cream and enjoyed the sunny afternoon. After our rest we walked to Phantassie doocot about half a mile away. Took lots of photos.
Nice walks and great architecture good for a quick sunny day's adventure with the kids and the dogs.
Visited with our 3 young children who were fascinated by the history and the set up of this old mill. The tour guide was very good and the sounding countryside is fantastic. It took from start to finish about 1.5 hours. had we not been members I would have been disappointed paying the gate price. However the history and the restoration work done by the National Trust is excellent.
Brilliant venue fantastic food and staff absolutely amazing venue most enjoyable extra praise for all the staff who worked incredibly hard all day and night they couldn't do enough !
My mom grew up in North Berwick, as a child I was lucky enough to spend a few summer holidays in this part of Scotland. We would come to Preston Mill and play around it and the fields. So, it was a real treat to get to come back to the mill. My aunt and uncle live only a few streets away, so we walked down. It hasn't really changed over the years and though it wasn't opened when we went, you can still walk around the outside and through the fields and enjoy the area. I believe if you have small children or are interested in the workings of the "old days" Preston Mill is a real must see when it's opened.